Oystercatchers

I'm lucky enough this week to be walking and watching along the banks of the River Tweed, learning about all sorts of wildlife on or near the water that I don't normally see.  

Swan, skeins of Canada and Greylag Geese fly above and Goosander show off their swimming expertise and disappear and reappear with efficient ease.

Pencil sketch of an Oystercatcher by Jennifer Tetlow

The sounds of the river are so different too, the gurgle of such a mass of water passing by and the bird calls.  One of the most startling and lovely voices comes from the Oystercatcher, a shrill penetrating 'kleep' which lets you know they are about, and then you see them flying low over the water and landing on the river bank.  It seems over recent years Oystercatcher numbers have increased as they have expanded into new breeding habitats.  Once they were confined to shores and cliff-tops, but a habit of nesting inland, where they now breed on moorland, arable fields and on riverside shingle beds, has seen a significant spread.

They return here from the coast, usually in late January or early February and are said to put on what is called a 'piping performance' - groups of birds form circles and run up and down, pointing their bills at the ground and piping out their shrill call.  I'm not sure if it is known why they do this, but it alerts other groups of Oystercatchers to do the same.  I haven't seen it yet, but I'm keeping my eyes open.

While I sat sketching I saw an otter swim up river too, but no time to catch an image of him, too excited and dare not take my eyes off the ripples and silky body.

Indoor Gardens - Terrariums

As a child there was an object in our house which I remember with great affection.  It was a large green carboy which variously stood as a beautiful glass object, a lampshade (my mother made the shade) and most excitingly, a terrarium.

I remember helping planting it with spoons and forks attached to garden canes, so they would reach the bottom, and having to be so neat so as not to get soil and marks on the side of the glass.  When planted it was a magical and fascinating thing.  The plants were somehow precious and enlarged, clean and lush.  You could see what was going on underneath the soil, roots and movement.

I've recently come across Paula Hayes, who seems to have mastered the art of indoor gardening and I find her plant filled glass shapes very engaging.  Her planters and bird projects are inspiring too.

I'm asking round the family now to see what happened to the carboy, hopefully it is collecting dust and I can pinch it and plant it up once again.

Sculpture and Dry Stone Walls

Wayside Carvings, West Lulworth by Peter Randall-Page

Since I first saw this carving by Peter Randall-Page, which is part of Sculpture and the Land the New Milestons project, I have thought about showing my work in a similar way.  I very much like the contrast of the natural riven wall stone and the smooth curves of the carving.  The shell-like forms are set into recessed alcoves in a boundary bank, to give them, in Peter's words, "their own intimate space in which to be seen."

Image by Stone Inspired

Now that I am working on creating something of a garden at my workshop - a garden in which to show some of my sculpture, I am very keen to include dry stone walling in the design.

Some of the walling I have been seeing I think is sculpture in its own right, but it also acts as a strong structural backdrop, it really draws my attention and I can find I have been gazing at it for ages.

Dry Stone Pond -  from a show garden for Hampton Court called 'Romantic Charm' designed by Claudia de Yong Designs.

As long as I can remember to include some flattish top surfaces, on which to place work, I would like to be a little bit adventurous.  Certainly it will help with creating some height and different levels - I'm excited about this project and at present am thinking on a much larger scale than I have space for and dreaming of earth moving equipment!

It's okay, I get sensible when standing at the sheds with plan in hand, and pace the frozen ground and measure the space needed to turn a vehicle in - don't want to be constantly backing into my new hard landscaping!

Amazing work from the 2011 Canadian Dry Stone Walling Festival

Sea Stones

What exquisite tiny stone vessels - I find these so beautiful.  I've attempted carving pebbles myself and know how hard and unyielding they can be - yet here they look effortlessly worked and shaped - really barely altered in what seems such a natural transformation.

Mitsuru Koga is an artist who emulates nature. Working with rocks, he becomes the abrasive sea, or the passage of time with his neat shaping.  Sea Stone (2008) is a collection of tiny vases, carved and polished from collected pebbles. The artist found inspiration on a beach in Chigasaki, Japan, where he was born. "As the way the waves abrade stones, I scrape them with careful attention."

Happy Blue

I planted grape hyacinth (Muscari Armeniacum) bulbs in one of my stone plant pots and they are thriving despite the cold frost and wind.   They seem so fragile and yet upwards they push with their brightest blue.

Grass like foliage supports the flower spikes that grow 6-8" tall.  Muscari are a Dutch favourite because they are deer resistant, naturalize well, and easy to grow in well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. 

These no-care bulbs are suitable for every garden or landscape.  Plant Muscari in large clusters or drifts for a spectacular spring show.  They come back year after year and will multiply if left undisturbed and are perfect for co-planting with tulips or daffodils.  They are sometimes known as Starch Hyacinths because it is said their fragrance smells of it.  However, they are exquisite picked for the house, for bunches or any floral decoration.

Beautiful arrangements at Botanical Brouhaha